Anyone using iPad Ground Station

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The iPad Ground Station looks like it can be very useful for my video work. The ability to create a flight path and repeat it, modify it, and save it sounds too good to be true. Does anyone have experience with Ground Station in the real world? Anyone seen independent reviews? Any rumors about an Android version?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pLl01qsHrU
 
I use it on my 450. I bought it so I could get some footage of family property. It works well for that. I would fly the route, watch the footage, make changes here and there (speed, alt, nose direction, etc) until I was able to get it just right. I find that the computer controlled flight path footage is better than human controlled as far as for real estate. You get nice straight paths between waypoints. I bought the phantom 3 specifically to use with the ground station. The smaller foot print will make it easier to travel with although the larger frame of the 450 lets me hold more and fly longer. For $200 it's worth every penny.
 
How does it work when it goes out of transmitter range?
(Or is that the whole point of using ground station?)
 
Good question. I honestly haven't had it go out of range. I would assume it would return to home. I like it because it allows me to fly beyond what I can see. For example behind a structure or tree or hill. I will say that you need to be careful with that because google maps isn't always up to date. In Florida trees grow fast. A tree in march might look small and bare but come September is big and lots of leaves. If you fly based on the google maps image, you might not have great luck.
 
Haha reminds me of the story of a lady who trusted google map over what she sees through her windshield.... she ended up diving with her car :D
 
Thanks for the feedback Ksc, I got the 2.4Ghz BT Data Link to use on the 550 I'm building, with the same intentions as what you've used it for. I was actually planning to use the PC groundstation software, have you used or compared that to the iPad GS? The POI feature is one I was hoping to be as useful as it sounds.
 
Never used the PC version. I wanted to carry at little as possible so figured it doesn't get any lighter than an iPad mini. I'm not sure if the PC has more features but I do know I've barely scraped the surface with the app and like the results.
 
Ksc said:
Never used the PC version. I wanted to carry at little as possible so figured it doesn't get any lighter than an iPad mini. I'm not sure if the PC has more features but I do know I've barely scraped the surface with the app and like the results.

Interesting, I had guessed the iPad mini might be too small to be really useful for this, but I'll have to check that out.
 
Can I assume that if you have a PC or laptop, you connect to the wireless data link module using a USB cable and the BTU unit is not needed?

Can I assume if you have an iPad that you connect to the wireless data link module using the BTU module and the USB cable is not needed? The iPad doesn't have a USB interface, so I assume a wireless connection is used.

I saw the GS is $349 but also saw $199, does that sound right?
 
I paid 300 for it from 1uas and it came with the iosd and can hub. No USB needed for the iOS version. It's now 200 without iosd or can bus hub
 

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